A THREATENED children’s heart unit which has saved the lives of hundreds of Teesside kids looks set to stay open, thanks to public support.

As reported, a review of children’s heart services, entitled Safe and Sustainable and conducted by NHS Specialised Commissioning, recommended cutting the number of units across the country from 11, to six or seven.

As a result, The Freeman Hospital’s paediatric heart unit, in Newcastle, faced closure in option D of four preferred options, while being included in all preferred options A to C. (See table below).

Now, initial reports from a public consultation which ended on July 1, show option D was the least popular with the 75,000 members of the public and organisations, who shared their views.

If their opinions carry enough weight to influence the final decision, the heart unit at Leeds General Infirmary will close, while The Freeman’s will remain open.

NHS specialised services confirmed option A was selected by more individuals than any other, while more organisations supported option B.

Option B was the most widely supported option as a whole, while C received “very little support” and option D received “very limited backing” - apart from in Yorkshire and Humberside.

Billingham mum Tracey Davidson, 32, was among the Teesside parents who spoke of their relief, as she and husband Ian, 38, prepare for their son Jack to have more gruelling surgery at the Newcastle hospital later this year.

Jack, who was born with half a heart, has already endured two operations and is likely to need a heart transplant when he is older.

Tracey, who is a paediatric nurse herself, said: “All support for The Freeman is appreciated.

“There were text services allowing the public to share their views and an online consultation so people could support The Freeman and I did both. People feel very strongly about it and if that helps encourage decisions on the review, all the better.”

Jack, who is three next month, will spend a fortnight in The Freeman before the end of this year.

Speaking of what the heart unit and chief cardiac surgeon Dr Asif Hassan mean to Jack and the family, Tracey said: “Jack has to go in again this year to have a cardiac catheter before he has more surgery. It’s another big one.